While many people own motorcycles (also known as “bikes”), both for street riding and off-road riding, there are times when they may not be ridden, and instead need to be hauled or transported. However, the hauling of motorcycles creates problems due to the fact that they only have two wheels, and are generally top heavy due to the motor being raised at a location between the two wheels. A kickstand may be used for temporarily resting a motorcycle, but it would not be able to keep a motorcycle from tipping over while travelling in or on a trailer or other vehicle.
Straps or tie downs have historically been used in transporting motorcycles in trailers or connected to vehicles. One or more straps must be attached to each side of the motorcycle and then to the trailer. The straps then must be tightened to ensure that the motorcycle will not tip one way or another. Tightening the straps causes a high amount of pressure to act downwardly on the motorcycle, which can cause wear and tear on the shocks and/or suspension of the motorcycle. In addition, it is time consuming to add and remove the straps, and the restraining of the motorcycle with straps or tie downs cannot usually be accomplished by one person. At least one person must hold the motorcycle, while another either straps the bike down, or removes the straps.
Other ways of restraining a motorcycle in a trailer or vehicle are known that do not incorporate the use of straps or tie downs. In such systems, brackets or clamps are added to the motorcycle, generally at the rear wheel, after riding and before loading the bike in the trailer or vehicle. Therefore, the brackets and/or clamps are not permanent fixtures on the motorcycles. The extra components take time to add, and much like with the use of straps, cannot be accomplished by a lone person. Again, at least one person must hold the motorcycle steady while another person or people attach the clamps or brackets to the specific locations of the motorcycle. Only then may the motorcycle be loaded onto or into the trailer and secured for transporting. However, once the motorcycle/trailer combination has reached its destination and the motorcycle has been removed from the trailer, the clamps and/or brackets must be removed before the motorcycle is safe to ride. As with the preloading process, the unloading process will take multiple people to accomplish and will cut into or reduce the amount of time the owner may ride his or her motorcycle.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a motorcycle restraining device that can be incorporated with a trailer or vehicle that does not include the use of straps or tie downs that put undue stress on the suspension and/or shocks of the motorcycle. There is also a need in the art for a restraining and hauling device that allows a motorcycle rider to load and unload his or her motorcycle onto a trailer or other vehicle that is not time consuming and that can be done without the aid of other people.
It is therefore a primary object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to overcome or improve on deficiencies in the art.
It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide a motorcycle transport retaining device that prevents a motorcycle from falling over or otherwise causing damage during transport in a trailer or vehicle.
It is yet another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide a motorcycle transport retaining device that does not put undue stress on the motorcycle.
It is still another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide a motorcycle transport retaining device that is permanently attached to a portion of the motorcycle.
It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide a motorcycle transport retaining device that allows a rider to quickly restrain his or her motorcycle to a trailer without the help of another person.
It is another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide a motorcycle restraining device that can be used with all different brands and styles of motorcycles.
It is still another object, feature, and/or advantage of the present invention to provide a motorcycle restraining device that can be easily moved to another trailer.